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Monday, June 22, 2015

DreamPlay at City of Dreams

It's a school holiday for the kids of San Juan this coming Wednesday in celebration of the Araw ng San Juan. In case your kids go to school in San Juan, then taking them to visit DreamPlay would be perfect. It's a weekday so it's less crowded, plus admission rates are lower on weekdays.

If you've bever been, allow me to share with you what to expect when we took the kids to DreamPlay before school started as a last summer hurrah.

DreamPlay is an all-new interactive entertainment concept that is the one place in the world where your favorite DreamWorks Animation characters come together and allow you to PLAY, CREATE and LEARN. Interactive environments, featuring the very latest digital technologies, will enable kids to engage in a wide range of thrilling activities, interacting with beloved characters from DreamWorks Animation’s world-famous franchises including KungFu Panda, Shrek, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon.

Phenomenal Tips for an Enjoyable Visit:

1. Be there early

We heard from friends who've been there already that the waiting time for a weekend visit could get hours-long, and so we went on a weekday... very early on a weekday. We made sure to be at City of Dreams by 10am.

2. Ticket Info

We got the 2 hour pass for the three kids, and since my husband and I wanted to tag along with the kids, we paid the non-participating adult rate of P210 each. After we paid, we were given a color-coded wristband. Green bands for the kiddie/participating tickets, and red bands for the adult/non-participating tickets.

Should an adult want to participate, then the kids rate applies.

I figured that we just get the 2-hour pass, anyway if we need to stay longer, we can always just pay/upgrade for the extra time upon exit.

Helpful Reminders:

Children: 100cm – 17 years old

Adults: 18 years old and above

Children 99cm and below are free of charge

Adult with no child will not be allowed to enter DreamPlay.

RFID Wristband given at the entrance are non-transferrable.

3. Plan your stay

Get the schedule for certain attractions. Gingy's Kitchen, Dream Studio and Dream Theater are some of the attractions that follow time schedules. Since my girls wanted to try Gingy's Kitchen, the first thing we did when we got in was to go straight to the Gingy's Kitchen to sign them up. After we signed up, then we went around while waiting for our turn. We decided it's best to tackle the area in a counterclockwise direction.

4. Keep Track of Time

When I swiped my band as I entered the activity area, I also made sure to set the alarm in my phone for 2 hours. If the kids needed more time, we would extend; but I still wanted to know what we accomplished in the 2 hours.

The moment you swipe in your band, the timer starts ticking. So while there's a snack area inside, it is not worth pausing to take a break as it is counted against your time.

Because my kids are older and can move around the area faster, plus it was also a weekday, we were able to finish in 2 hours. However, there were a few attractions that my kids skipped because they found them to be too "kiddie."

If you have younger kids with you, you might need more than 2 hours to go around, given that their small legs also move, walk and climb slower.

List of Attractions

Kung Fu Panda

Fast as Lightning Kung Fu Fighting. This is like a Dance Revolution video game. Kids follow the motion of Po as shown in the giant screen. My kids obviously skipped this and went straight to the more "challenging" attractions.

Wall of Destiny. This is a series of spots where the kids can do wall-climbing. Before the kids are allowed up, they are taught the basics of wall climbing, including how to rappel down. They start with the easiest level, as shown below. My son found the first level so easy and enjoyable that he was able to ascend fast. He was almost at the top before his achi could even start climbing up.

After the easy level, kids can move up to the more difficult and challenging walls to climb. B chose to tackle this lightning wall. The goal here is to only hold on to the lightning rod for support. It is quite difficult and the kids needs to think how to mauever it without letting go of the lightning.

I must admit, I was the one who got nervous as I watched my kids tackled all of these. The goal in this one here is to climb all the way to the top, and then jump down. The kids have their harness on, but still!!! Mejo kinakabahan ako that time! This attraction is not for younger kids especially if they have fear of heights... or for mamas like me who are faint of heart. hehe!

The teeneager who went after J did not even went farther than the 4th step.

Here's a video I took of R going down the same attraction. He was able to climb it much faster than his achi, maybe because he's lighter, but also maybe because boys are naturally risk-averse, and want to challenge themselves all the time.

Click on the play button to see him rappel down.

Thread of Enlightenment. Test your bravery and balance as you make your way across this two level ropes course. Follow in the footsteps of the great kung fu masters as you make your way across the Thread of Enlightenment.

Proud of this girl for taking the hardest "legendary" route and finishing it.

Madagascar

Afro Circus. The Afro Circus has come to town! Dive into a world of foam and fun as you join the Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria in this amazing multilevel play area.

Whatever Floats Your Boat. The Penguins of Madagascar need your help to create a sound seafaring vessel! Joining Skipper, Private, Rico, and Kowalski on their next operation, you will not only assemble your very own boat, you’ll also sail it down the river! But be careful! There just may be a few obstacles along the way.

Shrek

Shrek’s Swamp Stomp. Get ready for an ogre the top experience as you tour Shrek’s swamp house. Shrek is home to greet you, but he can’t seem to find his keys and needs your help to look for them. Just be sure to stay away from his outhouse or you just might get an unpleasant surprise.

Gingy’s Kitchen. At Gingy’s Kitchen, you’ll earn how to make a gingerbread man from Gingy himself! Just don’t be surprised if Shrek and Donkey catch a whiff of your delicious treats and make an appearance too!

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Fly Your Dragon. In Berk, you’re only as fast as the dragon you ride. Join Hiccup on his quest to find dragons of all shapes and sizes. You’ll search Hiccup’s collection of hand crafted dragon parts to create your own unique dragon and fly it! Will your dragon be able to move like a Gronckle or soar like a Speed Stinger?

DinoTrux. Join the DinoTrux at this construction site millions of years in the making. Learn how to build and pilot your very own Reptools. Then enlist the support of Ty and the other DinoTrux to create a world unlike any other!

DreamWorks

DreamTheatre. We watched a very short 4-d movie with some of our favorite DreamWorks characters in DreamTheatre! There was hardly any line when we were there. Although it was very short, we enjoyed it just the same.

My daughter found it very cool to find her |sneakers change colors as soon as the lights were turned off.

DreamTales Library. Storytelling comes to life as some of your favorite DreamWorks characters take the stage in a puppet show of their own!

We finished in a little over 2 hours, but they waived the extra few minutes for us. There's a souvenir store by the exit so be prepared to be hostaged by your young kids. The cute merchandise are all lined up and begging to be purchased.

Overall, the kids had fun with the activities. It's believe everyone should try even just once.

The Phenomenal Woman

Thanks for dropping by! The Phenomenal Mama is a blog about my experiences as a stay-at-home mom as I try to be purposeful & intentional in taking care of my family & home. I am only phenomenal in how I allow God to use my imperfections to do his phenomenally perfect work.